Re: Quick help please

Originally Posted by ScottJ

From my perspective as a moderator, if there's someone who is looking for help with a translation that is obviously personal, as this one is, then I can choose to take the time to write up something to assist them. If someone posts a translation that is obviously a homework assignment, then their responsibility as a student is to give the effort. If someone posts part of a professional newsletter, website, etc., then they should hire someone to do a professional translation. In this case, mwanikiphp posted part of a birthday greeting to someone close to him/her. Having been in similar situations of a large language barrier, I see no harm in spending time in my day to give a hand.

Here is what is officially listed:

Can I post text and have it translated?

-You can post it and ask for a translation, but the members of this forum are mostly professionals and will only translate it if they feel like it. You will probably NOT receive an answer if your text is too long, since translation is a paid service.

As a translator, I felt like helping this person out.

By the way, if I made a mistake in my translation (which will happen), please correct the text as well so that the person can receive the most accurate and correct text possible. Thank you.

As a fellow moderator I agree 100% with Scott.

Moreover, this forum is obviously not solely restricted to professional translation work. It is also a learning forum and we have many exchanges and discussions between translators involving word usage, etc., that are initiated by questions raised during the translation of requests such as this example and go far beyond the translation of the requested material. Often the requestor is never heard from again but we continue to exchange and develop ideas as a result of the request. I see that as a benefit to the professionals and to the forum as a whole.

The key point however, is that no one is obligated to answer a request, or even read it if they choose not to.

We all know that it is preferable to have the poster attempt his own translation before we help but we get a lot of first time posters who do not speak Spanish or English and only want a little help understanding or sending something. As Scott said, there is no harm in helping people if you have the time and want to do it.

Re: Quick help please

Originally Posted by Goodnightmoon

I'd like some mod or administrator to confirm whether the purpose of this forum allows for this kind of requests (free translation of full paragraphs from scratch) or whether it's mandatory to give our try first when asking for help. I think there's a big difference between asking "how do you say have a nice weekend in Spanish?" and asking for a letter to be translated.

All of us are more than willing to help here but I'm not sure helping someone with a translation is the same as doing the job for someone else who maybe will be taking the credit for all of my translation if he/she doesn't give it a try first. Whether it's homework, a private letter or someone trying to impress his/her boss with his/her (lacking) language skills it's certainly up to me to decide if I want to help or not, I'd just like to know what the limit to the amount of help asked is considered acceptable here.

Scott: maybe you'd like to check your use of the indicative when expressing wishes...

Goodnightmoon, no one is obligated to provide any translations in this forum, though there will always be people requesting them. Each forum user can decide for themselves whether or not they want to participate and no one should be attacked for doing so. In my personal experience, if I offer a translation it is because I simply have the time to do it and don't mind helping someone out, or I do it for my own personal practice.

Re: Quick help please

Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. I don't quite understand what you need corrected on your translate or what your mistake was, if you could clarify that please.

Goodnightmoon,

This is a simple note NOT a letter, I already stated I know nothing of Spanish so giving it a try is not possible, the spirit of truly helping someone is doing it w/o necessarily taking credit for it. You don't have to make things so complicated, you can definitely choose to help or not, if you choose not to, then you and I have no business together and there's no point of having a discussion and there's no point for you to post on my thread.

Pames.

You are free to express your opinion, but that's NOT what I was looking for, so to me it's a non-issue, if you don't want to help you don't have to post on my thread, I'm sure you can express your opinion somewhere else where it would be more appreciated.

mwanikiphp, you have your translation. Let's let it go at that and not turn this into an argument.

Re: Quick help please

I think we can all learn from a good debate... provided we don't turn it into a personal fight: "I think this. You think differently? You're wrong, you're a bad person, you don't belong here, somebody should make you leave this place where nobody thinks the way you do..."

everybody is entitled to their own opinion and to choose whether to give a hand or not. in general, this kind of request (a love message, a birthday note) takes not so much from any of us and, as already stated, it generally sparks a good exchange of professionals' views and variants of a word or phrase that helps us all learn. I've seen some more "serious" stuff translated loosely and freely but someone that I wonder if really helped (legal matters need a formal, official translation, and a professional taking responsibility for it, but no one reminded the requester of that). and the requester had suggested a translation that was terribly written (but nobody commented on that either, nobody wondered about the rest of the document -it was just a paragraph).

in any case, who gets hurt by a love letter (well translated or with mistakes)? a lover's message is translated online, unprofessionally, just to help and only something good will result (= love is distributed, loving words are delivered, somebody who doesn't speak the language will understand that someone else thinks of them and cares for them enough to take the trouble...). and what if the author gets the credit, instead of the kind translator? (if you're thinking you lose some dollars, don't do it!)

enough of that. since someone already took the time and the effort -and a non-Spanish-speaker, besides- I will add my two cents with a correction (I hope it's not too late for mwanikiphp) with the only intention of improving a good job, as a Spanish speaker and professional translator, and not to criticize my colleague but to help him, too.

Re: Quick help please

I was asking about the current rules here as there are different rules for different forums and I saw fit asking in this thread. Of course I just made my point and explained why I feel it necessary to offer your own try before posting but I never assumed it was mandatory here, I was merely asking so I thank you mods for the clarification. And I wasn't certainy assuming someone would ever get paid for translating something like this! (And certainly not dollars, euros or pounds only!) I certainly don't project my expectations about the text, the context, who's receiving it and how happy that person would be... I merely focus on who asks what and why. If I offer my work voluntarily I choose those who will not claim they've done it themselves, doesn't matter whether someone/no one gets paid. Helping or getting help with a difficult phrase, idiom or whatever is just a friendly exchange.

you can definitely choose to help or not, if you choose not to, then you and I have no business together and there's no point of having a discussion and there's no point for you to post on my thread.

I'm perfectly aware I'm entitled to choose, I wasn't asking to be told what to do. I wondered about one specific issue and asked for a clarification. So even if the original poster doesn't like my post because I don't provide a translation, I don't think this entitles him to tell me not to post in his thread. I believe this is an open forum and no one is the owner of the threads.

Once my question is replied, thank you all for the information about what is customary here.

Re: Quick help please

Again I can't thank you enough, Vicente, you are a good man/woman, I'll take your advice and let go, it's just I was a little frustrated with a couple posters who were making this more complicated than it is. Thanks for the support.

Lauracipolla,

It's not too late thanks for the thought and I greatly appreciate the correction, again, can't thank you enough.

Sarab,

Nicely put, that was my whole point, in a more professional manner.

You've all, as well as ScottJ proven that even in a cold, heartless electronic age, there are still good people behind these screen names, nice to see. Muchos Gracias..

Re: Quick help please

Originally Posted by Goodnightmoon

I'm perfectly aware I'm entitled to choose, I wasn't asking to be told what to do. I wondered about one specific issue and asked for a clarification. So even if the original poster doesn't like my post because I don't provide a translation, I don't think this entitles him to tell me not to post in his thread. I believe this is an open forum and no one is the owner of the threads.

With all respect goodnightmoon, what's the point in posting if you are not going to provide a translation? Why don't you just avoid the thread?